Plate-holder.



PATENTED FEB. 11, 1908.

G..B. HALL. PLATE HOLDER. APPLIOATION rum) MAY 1,1900.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ma lllllililllln N a m w h a By ATTORNEYS llli nouns zrsns ca, wnsumcmn, n. c. v

PATENTEDFEB. 11, 1908.

G. B. HALL. PLATE HOLDER. nrmowmn FILED KAY 1,1906.

2 SHEETS-$112111 2.

Mu. L. 5. filitaxxx 5 1 1 g 1 \m g g M Q W M N1 1 1 1 1 g 3.1% 1 1R m GEORGE BROWN HALL, OF YARMOUTH, NOVA SOOTIA, CANADA.

PLATE-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1908.

Application filed May 1. 1906. Serial No- 314.638.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE B. HALL, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Yarmouth, in the Province of Nova Scotia and Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and Improved Plate-Holder, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to plate holders, such as used by photographers for holding photographic plates when placed in the camera.

The object of the invention is to produce a plate holder of simple construction which will enable plates of various dimensions to be held securely and centrally disposed in the holder.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan of the plate holder, showing the same open and illustrating the interior construction thereof; Fig. 2 is a plan showing one-half of the plate holder when the same is closed; this view may be considered a rear elevationof the plate holder; Fig. 3

is a cross section through the plate holder taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1: Fig. 4 is a cross section through the plate holder on the line 44 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a cross section on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 represents the body of the holder. which consists of a rectangular or square frame formed of rails 2, arranged at the edges of the bottom or back 3. Slidably mounted within the frame of the body 1, I provide a pair of bars 4 and 4, the extremities of the bar 4 attach to racks 5 which extend parallel to each other and which are guided longitudinally in the body as indicated; the bar 4 is similarly attached tothe racks 5. These racks are disposed in pairs as shown and are provided with teeth on their adjacent edges which mesh with pinions 6 secured to the back 1 between the racks as shown. From this arrangement, it follows that when one of the bars 4, 4 is pulled outwardly or inwardly, it operates to rotate the pinions 6 and advances the opposite bar in a similar manner.

Centrally disposed on the body 1 and parallel with the bars 4 and 4, I provide a center rail 7 which extends transversely of the frame as shown. On each side of this rail I provide longitudinally disposed strips 8 to which I attach broad flat backing slats 9. These slats extend transversely with respect to the bars 4 and pass through openings 10 formed in these bars, as indicated most clearly in Fig. 5. On the adjacent faces of the guide strips 8, racks 11 are respectively guided, as shown, and these racks have teeth which project toward each other and mesh with a centrally disposed pinion 12 pivoted on the rail 7. To the extremities of the racks 11 which lie remote from each other, I attach upwardly projecting clips 13., Each of these clips consists of a short plate or bar which extends at right angles to the center rail 7 and the bars 4. These clips 13 are formed on or attached to shoes 14 which slide on the rail 7 as shown, and these shoes are provided with clips 15, consisting of resilient plates the form of which is clearly shown in Fig. 3. These plates are attached at their edges remote from the clips 13 and the edges of the plates adjacent to-the clips incline up wardly as indicated, for a purpose which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The outer extremities of the backing slats 9 are rigidly secured in the frame. From the construction described for mounting the clips 13, it should be understood that if either of the clips 13 is pulled outwardly or inwardly, through the medium of the pinion connection 12 with the rack of the opposite clip, this opposite clip will be likewise adjusted in or out.-

In order to enable the bars 4 and 4 to be locked at any desired distance apart, I provide a locking rack 16, as indicated most clearly in Figs. 1 and 5. This locking rack is disposed near the central line of the frame and is provided on one edge with teeth. Attached to the adjacent bar which, as illustrated, is the bar 4"", I provide a latch 17 illustrated in Fig. 5, the said latch being pivotally attached at 18 and provided with an upwardly projecting arm 19 which passes through a slot formed in the saddlezo, which saddle is adapted to slide a short distance in either direction on the bar to which it is attached. It is preferably attached by means of suitable screws 21 which pass through elongated slots 22. evidently, by sliding the saddle 20 toward the right as indicated in Fig. 5, the latch 17 will be disconnected from the locking rack, and by moving the saddle in the opposite direction, the bars may be locked at any dis=- tance apart.

Referring especially to Fig. 4, the adjacent faces of the bars 4 and 4 are provided with longitudinally disposed recesses or grooves 23 which receive the edges of the photographic plate 24. In placing the plate in the holder, the holder is held so that the bars 4 and 4 are disposed substantially horizontal; they are then adjusted .apart so as to allow the plate to be received therebetween and are then brought together so as to hold the plate as indicated in Fig. 4. The plate then, whatever be its dimensions, will be centrally disposed within the holder with respect to an axis of said holder. Before bringing the plate between the bars 4 and 4" as described, the clips 13 will be moved a sufficient distance apart to allow the plate to come into position therebetween; they will then be advanced toward each other until they engage the side edges of the plate and bring the same to rest at the center of the holder. As the clips 13 move into engagement with the side edges of the photographic plate, the edges of the plate ride up upon the plates 15 of the clips 13. In doing so, the sensitized face of the photographic plate is brought into what will be the focal plane of the lens of the camera.

The holder is closed by a curtain slide 25 which is guided into position at the front or rear of the holder by means of slots 26 and 27 formed in the frame, one of the rails of the frame being provided with a longitudinally disposed curved slot 28 which connects the slots 26 and 27, as indicated most clearly in Fig. 4. In this way the curtain may be drawn from one side to the other of the holder so as to expose or cover the photographic plate. In Fig. 4, the curtain slide is represented as exposing the plate. The curtain slide isof any suitable construction, comprising a sheet 29 which may be of fabric to which transverse slats 30 attach, the extremities of said slats being'received in the side grooves 26 and 27. In order to facilitate the manipulation of the curtain slide, at one extremity thereof it is provided with a transverse cleat 31. As indicated in Fig. 1, at one side I provide a stop 32 which projects inwardly from one of the rails of the frame so as to constitute means for limiting the rearward movement of the bars 4 and 4. By reason From this arrangement,

of thisstop, it becomes impossible for the bars to be pushed back against the side rails of the frame in such a way that it might become difficult to force the same inwardly.

It is observed that a large proportion of photographic plates are not truly flat, which prevents their being nicely focused. In order to overcome this defect I provide the inner faces of the clips 13 with inwardly projecting lips 13 which are inclined or rounded *ofitheir under sides as shown most clearly in Fig. 3. As the clips move into position at the sides of the plate, if either of the edges of the plate adjacent to the clips projects upwardly, such edge will be forced down by the rounded under face of the lip so that the plate will be forced into a truly flat condition; the edges of the plate are then held under the lips as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Special attention is called to the fact that on account of the resiliency of the spring members 15, the plate holder will operate upon plates of different thicknesses or upon plates which are badly warped out of a true plane.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a plate holder, in combination, a body, a pair of transversely disposed bars mounted in said body, said bars having openings therein, backing slats attached to said body and extending through said openings, 'a center rail disposed between said bars, and clips slidably mounted on said rail and adapted to engage the edges of the plate held between said bars.

2. In a plate holder, in combination, a body, a center rail, clips slidably mounted on said center rail, means for maintaining said clips equidistant from a central axis of said body, a stantially parallel with said center rail and having longitudinally .disposed slots therein, strips disposed parallel with said center rail and oneach side thereof, backing slats attached to said strips and passing through said slots, means for maintaining said bars equidistant from a central axis of said body, and means for locking said bars to said body.

3. In a plate holder, in combination, a body, a pair of transversely disposed bars, means for guiding said bars to slide transversely of said frame, means for maintaining said bars equiddistant from a central axis of said body, a pair of clips mounted on said body to slide longituinally with respect to said bars, means for maintaining said clips equidistant from a second central axis of said body, a rack fixed to said body and dispose transversely of said bars, and locking means cariied by one of said bars and engaging said rac i.

4. In a plate holder, in combination, a

pair of transversely disposed bars subseam body, a pair of transversely disposed bars having grooves adaptedto clamp the edges of a photographic plate set therebetween, and clips mounted to move transversely between said bars and having projecting lips ailapted to engage over the edges of the said ate. p 5. In a plate holder, in combination, a body, a pair of transversely disposed bars having grooves adapted to clamp the edges of a photographic plate set therebetween, and clips mounted adapted to engage over the edges of the said plate, said clips having plates inclining upwardly attheir outer edges supporting the edges of said plate, and lips on the inner to move transversely be tween said bars and having projecting lips GEORGE BROWN HALL.

Witnesses:

JOHN S. BRYANT, 'A. M. PERERIER. 

